Condor For Lotus Bespoke Bicycles

Two British brands, which are steeped in heritage and racing history, shaped by many championship titles and joined by the ethos to create lighter better product to enhance performance. Lotus and Condor were both born in 1948 in Britain, the brands are known within their respective industries for lightweight products. Condor successes through the sixties helped many riders win international championship titles.

Collaboration between Lotus and Condor is a natural fit. The history of the two companies mirror so perfectly, it could almost be a fictional story.

Lotus is no stranger to cycling, flexing technological prowess when its engineers turned their attentions to redefining the bicycle and winning gold in 1992 at Barcelona. Just four years after the win a change to the ruling meant a competition bicycle must take a conventional shape, thus the Lotus concept could not be used in future competition.

Twenty years after gold medal success in Barcelona and on the eve of both companies 65th year, Lotus and Condor have partnered to celebrate their rich history and work together to create speed through lightness and push the future of performance further. Two bicycles have been created in collaboration to mark the start of an on-going project that uses the knowledge of both companies in their fields to redefine what is known about speed on two wheels.

The Design

Condor selected one of its race proven carbon frames for the project, and fitted it with the lightest components in accordance with the Lotus ethos.

Design teams at Lotus and Condor developed the limited edition livery taking cues from Lotus F1 team and its return to the height of performance racing.

The frame’s fluid lines and graceful curves aren’t purely aesthetic. The shape distills the forces travelling through the frame, controlling the buzz from the road and smoothing the ride making the bike feel like you are “floating over a cloud”.

The Type 1 LC Racing combines comfort with function, blending sophisticated, high quality materials with precise attention to details and superb craftsmanship.

The Method

Using artisan know-how combined with cutting-edge technology the Type 1 LC Racing is limited, it is special. Requiring 25 manufacturing steps, with each frame created by a small team of five who have practised, learnt and honed their techniques in creating the carbon tubes, cutting them to length, bonding them together, baking and finishing the frame. It is passed to the paint shop to create the unique design. Creating the carbon frame by hand allows Condor to build up carbon in areas of high torsion but ensure it is not over built making it stronger but weighing much less. The frame is then built to the exact customer size profile as measured by Condor bike fitters and the components fitted by workshop engineers.

Technical Specification

Type 1 LC Racing

The core of the Type 1 LC Racing‘s incomparable ride quality is its proven hand wrapped performance carbon fibre frame and fork. Even more impressive than the bikes incredible light weight are the superb ride characteristics. With a perfect balance of lightweight zing, powerful pedaling stiffness and comfy compliance, it’s clearly in a league of its own. A precise Campagnolo Centaur carbon drivetrain and Mavic Cosmic carbon wheels, complete this dream ride.

Frame:

Condor Performance MMC carbon fibre with 3K weave, hand cut and wrap building process, internal cable routing, carbon fibre dropouts and forged aluminum replaceable rear derailleur hanger, 1112g

Fork:

Condor 100% carbon fibre fork 1.125”” --> 1.5”” steerer tube, integrated headset crown race, blades, and dropouts, 328g

Drivetrain:

Campagnolo Centaur carbon shifters and derailleurs, Campagnolo Centaur 52/36T crankset, Campagnolo chain and 11-26T cassette.

Components:

Campagnolo Centaur dual pivot brakes, Deda Zero 100 handlebar – shallow race drop, Deda Zero 100 aluminum 3D forged stem, Condor Supremacy UHC Performance carbon fibre seatpost, Fizik Arione with hollow Cr-Mo rails

Wheelset: Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR, 1595g

Finish: Gloss carbon with gold and raw carbon

Sizes: 52cm, 55cm, 58cm, 61cm

Weight: 16.00lbs | 7.25kg *based on 56cm frame size

Price: RRP £5,150 including VAT

[email protected] +44 (0)20 7269 6820 Limited edition of 64 bikes